Winter, particularly December, can be a rough season.

For us poor ink-stained wretches, it鈥檚 one of the busiest months of the year.

Then in my off hours, there鈥檚 the usual Christmas stuff 鈥� presents, decorating, baking and so on. And all the while, it鈥檚 getting darker and darker and darker outside.

By the time this column appears, it will be one week before the annual winter solstice, the annual nadir of daylight.

Guess what happens when you get too little sunlight, too much stress, and not enough sleep and exercise?

Yeah, it鈥檚 not great for overall mood.

Usually by around Dec. 20, I have the urge to rip down store speakers blaring Christmas songs and stomp them into pieces while yelling 鈥淪crooge was right!鈥�

Fortunately, there are things that can be done to fend off the winter blahs.

That list of bad stuff, a couple sentences back?

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Every winter, especially now, I need to tackle those issues.

鈥� Daylight: Going for walks in the middle of the day becomes important. If you work in a windowless box, as I do, then the drive to work may be the only time of the day you actually get enough daylight. Get outside! Even if it鈥檚 just to walk around the block. I鈥檓 getting to know the local crows. I鈥檝e named the big one Beauregard.

鈥� Stress: This is a hard one to avoid. There are just more responsibilities at this time of the year, especially for those of us working right up to Christmas. Telling other people when you鈥檙e about to start climbing the walls, however, may help. What you shouldn鈥檛 do is bottle it all up and pretend you鈥檙e fine. (This is definitely do as I say, not as I do advice. I鈥檓 working on it, okay?)

鈥� Sleep: Go to bed half an hour earlier. Put the phone down and read a book before you nod off. And take naps, on the weekends or, y鈥檏now, whenever you can.

(Note to self: How long would it take anyone to notice if I put up a hammock in the conference room?)

鈥� Exercise: You know those perky people who get up at 5 a.m., rain or shine, year round, and go jogging? They鈥檙e relentlessly cheerful and positive? No one wants to admit that the jogging fanatics are right, but they are. Exercise is good for your mood and your mind as well as for the body.

This one is the big anti-winter-blues multiplier. More exercise helps you sleep more and can be done while getting outside, depending on your chosen form of fitness.

Finally, I advise that sometimes you should give in to your Grinch side. Admit that this time of year is stressful. Sometimes, it鈥檚 awful.

So go ahead. Scream into a pillow. Scowl and say 鈥淏ah, humbug!鈥� to an apple-cheeked child. Call your MP and ask them to ban Mariah Carey music in public places. Put your most frightening Halloween decorations up instead of Christmas lights.

It鈥檚 not always about keeping the season. Sometimes, it鈥檚 about keeping the season at bay.